Texas County | |
---|---|
Coordinates: 36°45′N101°29′W / 36.75°N 101.48°W | |
Country | United States |
State | Oklahoma |
Founded | 1907 |
Named for | Texas |
Seat | Guymon |
Largest city | Guymon |
Area | |
• Total | 2,049 sq mi (5,310 km2) |
• Land | 2,041 sq mi (5,290 km2) |
• Water | 7.4 sq mi (19 km2) 0.4% |
Population (2020) | |
• Total | 21,384 |
• Density | 10/sq mi (4.0/km2) |
Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
Congressional district | 3rd |
Website | texas |
Texas County is a county located in the panhandle of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Its county seat is Guymon. As of the 2020 census, the population was 21,384. [1] It is the second largest county in Oklahoma, based on land area, and is named for Texas, the state that adjoins the county to its south. [2] Texas County comprises the Guymon, OK Micropolitan Statistical Area. The county economy is largely based on farming and cattle production. It is one of the top-producing counties in the U.S. for wheat, cattle, and hogs. It also lies within the noted Hugoton-Panhandle natural gas field. [2]
Being 50.6% Hispanic, Texas is also Oklahoma's only Hispanic-majority county as of 2020. [3]
Texas County was formed at Oklahoma statehood (November 16, 1907) from the central one-third of "Old Beaver County". When the formation of the county was authorized by the Constitutional Convention of 1907, the county was so named because it was wholly included within the limits of the Texas Cession of 1850, whereby the ownership of the area was passed from the State of Texas to the United States government. From 1850 to 1890, its lands were never attached to any state or territory, never surveyed, and never divided into townships and sections like the eastern counties were. From 1890 to 1907, it was part of Beaver County. [2]
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 2,049 square miles (5,310 km2), of which 2,041 square miles (5,290 km2) are land and 7.4 square miles (19 km2) (0.4%) is water. [4] It is the second-largest county in Oklahoma by area. The county lies in the High Plains of the Great Plains physiographic region. It is generally flat, but has some rolling hills. It is drained by the North Canadian River, often called the Beaver River in this area. Tributaries of the river are Coldwater, Hackberry, Goff, Teepee, and Pony Creeks. [2]
For tourism purposes, the county's location in Northwest Oklahoma puts it in the area designated by the Oklahoma Department of Tourism as Red Carpet Country. [5]
The Optima Lake project, including Optima National Wildlife Refuge, and the Optima Wildlife Management Area being public hunting lands managed by the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, is 2 miles (3.2 km) north of Hardesty, Oklahoma. [2]
Texas County is one of four counties in the United States to border the state with which it shares its name (the other three are Nevada County, California, Delaware County, Pennsylvania, and Ohio County, West Virginia).
Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
---|---|---|---|
1910 | 14,249 | — | |
1920 | 13,975 | −1.9% | |
1930 | 14,100 | 0.9% | |
1940 | 9,896 | −29.8% | |
1950 | 14,235 | 43.8% | |
1960 | 14,162 | −0.5% | |
1970 | 16,352 | 15.5% | |
1980 | 17,727 | 8.4% | |
1990 | 16,419 | −7.4% | |
2000 | 20,107 | 22.5% | |
2010 | 20,640 | 2.7% | |
2020 | 21,384 | 3.6% | |
2021 (est.) | 20,865 | −2.4% | |
U.S. Decennial Census [6] 1790-1960 [7] 1900-1990 [8] 1990-2000 [9] 2010 [10] |
As of the 2010 census, there were 20,640 people, 7,212 households, and 5,147 families residing in the county. The population density was 4/km2 (10/sq mi). There were 8,208 housing units at an average density of 2/km2 (5.2/sq mi). The racial makeup of the county was 75.7% White, 1.6% Black or African American, 1.3% Native American, 1.6% Asian, 0.2% Pacific Islander, 16.9% from other races, and 2.8% from two or more races. 42.0% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race (34.3% Mexican, 3.5% Guatemalan, 0.7% Cuban, 0.7% Spanish). [11] [12] 65.7% spoke English and 33.1% Spanish as their first language. [13] As of 2020, its population was 21,384. [10]
In 2010, there were 7,153 households, out of which 39.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.50% were married couples living together, 7.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.60% were non-families. 21.20% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.75 and the average family size was 3.19. In the county, the population was spread out, with 28.80% under the age of 18, 12.70% from 18 to 24, 29.10% from 25 to 44, 19.20% from 45 to 64, and 10.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females there were 105.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 106.90 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $35,872, and the median income for a family was $42,226. Males had a median income of $26,991 versus $20,404 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,692. About 10.20% of families and 14.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.80% of those under age 18 and 7.40% of those age 65 or over.
Voter Registration and Party Enrollment as of June 30, 2023 [14] | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Party | Number of Voters | Percentage | |||
Democratic | 1,535 | 17.71% | |||
Republican | 5,423 | 62.57% | |||
Others | 1,709 | 19.72% | |||
Total | 8,667 | 100% |
Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
2020 | 4,505 | 81.60% | 894 | 16.19% | 122 | 2.21% |
2016 | 4,621 | 79.95% | 858 | 14.84% | 301 | 5.21% |
2012 | 4,930 | 85.12% | 862 | 14.88% | 0 | 0.00% |
2008 | 5,336 | 85.25% | 923 | 14.75% | 0 | 0.00% |
2004 | 5,450 | 84.29% | 1,016 | 15.71% | 0 | 0.00% |
2000 | 4,964 | 81.54% | 1,084 | 17.81% | 40 | 0.66% |
1996 | 4,139 | 67.95% | 1,408 | 23.12% | 544 | 8.93% |
1992 | 4,059 | 58.15% | 1,487 | 21.30% | 1,434 | 20.54% |
1988 | 4,971 | 73.62% | 1,717 | 25.43% | 64 | 0.95% |
1984 | 5,968 | 84.78% | 1,033 | 14.68% | 38 | 0.54% |
1980 | 5,503 | 77.52% | 1,451 | 20.44% | 145 | 2.04% |
1976 | 3,919 | 59.56% | 2,591 | 39.38% | 70 | 1.06% |
1972 | 5,726 | 82.54% | 924 | 13.32% | 287 | 4.14% |
1968 | 3,729 | 63.65% | 1,176 | 20.07% | 954 | 16.28% |
1964 | 3,339 | 57.18% | 2,500 | 42.82% | 0 | 0.00% |
1960 | 4,314 | 73.58% | 1,549 | 26.42% | 0 | 0.00% |
1956 | 3,320 | 63.77% | 1,886 | 36.23% | 0 | 0.00% |
1952 | 4,196 | 68.66% | 1,915 | 31.34% | 0 | 0.00% |
1948 | 1,676 | 38.36% | 2,693 | 61.64% | 0 | 0.00% |
1944 | 1,731 | 44.73% | 2,119 | 54.75% | 20 | 0.52% |
1940 | 1,918 | 40.15% | 2,831 | 59.26% | 28 | 0.59% |
1936 | 1,223 | 27.35% | 3,229 | 72.22% | 19 | 0.42% |
1932 | 1,372 | 25.38% | 4,033 | 74.62% | 0 | 0.00% |
1928 | 2,890 | 69.16% | 1,240 | 29.67% | 49 | 1.17% |
1924 | 1,745 | 44.04% | 1,812 | 45.73% | 405 | 10.22% |
1920 | 1,762 | 53.47% | 1,398 | 42.43% | 135 | 4.10% |
1916 | 807 | 32.69% | 1,349 | 54.64% | 313 | 12.68% |
1912 | 683 | 39.66% | 764 | 44.37% | 275 | 15.97% |
1908 | 1,315 | 43.37% | 1,470 | 48.48% | 247 | 8.15% |
Cattle raising was the most important economic activity before and after statehood. Farming rose in importance after the 1890s. Despite the occurrence of the Dust Bowl these two sectors have recovered and prospered. By 1990, Texas County led the state in producing grain sorghums, with 4.2 million bushels, or one-quarter of the state's harvest, and was the state's fourth-largest wheat-producing county, harvesting 10.3 million bushels. By 1997 it was the state's top producer of both hogs and cattle. [2] Texas County was the fifth-ranked county in the entire nation in 2017 for the number of hogs produced (1,094,877), [16] and pork producer Seaboard Foods is the county's primary employer. [17]
Petroleum exploration began in 1922 and resulted in natural gas production from the Hugoton Gas Field. The county remains the nation's largest producer of natural gas. Four carbon black plants operated near Optima from the mid-1930s through the 1940s. [2] The field extends from Hugoton, Kansas into the Texas Panhandle.
The 2000 MW Windcatcher wind farm project, consisting of 800 wind turbines from GE and a high voltage AC power line, was proposed for Texas County and adjacent Cimarron County, but ran into opposition and was finally cancelled in July 2018. [18]
The Oklahoma Legislature created the Pan-Handle Agricultural Institute in 1909, offering secondary agricultural education for the Panhandle area. In 1921, the legislature changed the name to Panhandle Agricultural and Mechanical College and authorized the school to offer a two-year curriculum. In 1925, the State Board of Agriculture authorized upper division college courses, and in 1926, junior and senior level courses were added. The school name has been changed twice since then, to Oklahoma Panhandle State College of Agriculture and Applied Science (OPSU) in 1967 and to Oklahoma Panhandle State University in 1974. [19] The school is in Goodwell.
Guymon Municipal Airport is a city-owned, public-use airport located two nautical miles (3.7 km) west of the central business district of City of Guymon in Texas County.
The following are included among the twenty-four sites in Texas County listed on the National Register of Historic Places [21]
|
Sherman County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 2,782. Its county seat is Stratford. The county was created in 1876 and organized in 1889. It is named for Sidney Sherman, who fought in the Texas Revolution. Though both Sherman County and Sherman, Texas, are named for the same person, the city of Sherman is located in Grayson County, about 430 miles to the southeast.
Parmer County is a county located in the southwestern Texas Panhandle on the High Plains of the Llano Estacado in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 9,869. The county seat is Farwell. The county was created in 1876 and later organized in 1907. It is named in honor of Martin Parmer, a signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence and early judge. Parmer County was one of 10 prohibition, or entirely dry, counties in the state of Texas, but is now a wet county.
Lipscomb County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 3,059. Its county seat is Lipscomb. The county was created in 1876 and organized in 1887. It is named for Judge Abner Smith Lipscomb, a secretary of state of the Republic of Texas.
Hutchinson County is a county in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 20,617. Its county seat is Stinnett. The county was created in 1876, but not organized until 1901. It is named for Andrew Hutchinson, an early Texas attorney.
Childress County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 6,664. The county seat is Childress. The county was created in 1876 and later organized in 1887. It is named for George Campbell Childress, the author of the Texas Declaration of Independence.
Carson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 5,807. The county seat is Panhandle. The county was founded in 1876 and later organized in 1888. It is named for Samuel Price Carson, the first secretary of state of the Republic of Texas.
Roger Mills County is a county located in the western part of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,442, making it the fourth-least populous county in Oklahoma. Its county seat is Cheyenne. The county was created in 1891.
Cimarron County is the westernmost county in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Its county seat is Boise City. As of the 2020 census, its population was 2,296, making it the least-populous county in Oklahoma; and indeed, throughout most of its history, it has had both the smallest population and the lowest population density of any county in Oklahoma. Located in the Oklahoma Panhandle, Cimarron County contains the only community in the state (Kenton) that observes the Mountain Time Zone. Black Mesa, the highest point in the state, is in the northwest corner of the county. The Cimarron County community of Regnier has the distinction of being the driest spot in Oklahoma ranked by lowest annual average precipitation, at just 15.62 inches; at the same time, Boise City is the snowiest location in Oklahoma ranked by highest annual average snowfall, at 31.6 inches.
Beaver County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of the 2020 census, the population was 5,049. The county seat is Beaver. The name was given because of the presence of many beaver dams on the Beaver River, which runs through the area. It is located in the Oklahoma Panhandle.
Beaver is a town and county seat in Beaver County, Oklahoma, United States. The community is in the Oklahoma Panhandle. As of the 2020 census, the town’s population was 1,280. The city is host to the annual World Cow Chip Throwing Championship. Held in April, "Cow Chip" brings attention from nearby cities with a parade, carnival, and cowchip throwing.
Goodwell is a town in Texas County, Oklahoma, United States. As of the 2020 census, the town’s population was 951. Goodwell is home to Oklahoma Panhandle State University.
Guymon is a city and county seat of Texas County, in the panhandle of Oklahoma, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 12,965, an increase of 13.3% from 11,442 in 2010, and represents more than half of the population of the county, along with being the largest city in the Oklahoma Panhandle. Cattle feedlots, corporate pork farms, and natural gas production dominate its economy, with wind energy production and transmission recently diversifying landowners' farms. Guymon was the only town or city in Oklahoma in 2010 and 2020 in which the majority of the population was Hispanic.
Hardesty is a town in Texas County, Oklahoma, United States. As of the 2020 census, the town’s population was 205.
Hooker is a city in Texas County, Oklahoma, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city’s population was 1,802. It is located approximately 20 miles northeast of Guymon on US Route 54 highway.
Optima is a town in Texas County, Oklahoma, United States. As of the 2020 census, the town’s population was 338.
Texhoma is a town in Texas County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 856 at the 2020 census. Texhoma is a divided city with the Texas–Oklahoma state border separating the town from Texhoma, Texas. The name of the town is a portmanteau of Texas and Oklahoma. Founded around the Rock Island Railroad laying tracks through the area, much of the town's local economy is from ranching and livestock.
Texhoma is a city in Sherman County, Texas, United States. The population was 258 at the 2020 census, declining from 364 in 2010. Texhoma is a divided city, with the Texas-Oklahoma state border separating the city from Texhoma, Oklahoma. It is also the northernmost settlement in the entire state of Texas.
Booker is a town in Lipscomb and Ochiltree counties in the U.S. state of Texas. The population was 1,516 as of the 2010 census. It was named for B.F. Booker, a civil engineer for the Panhandle and Santa Fe Railway.
The Oklahoma Panhandle is a salient in the extreme northwestern region of the U.S. state of Oklahoma, consisting of Cimarron County, Texas County and Beaver County, from west to east. As with other salients in the United States, its name comes from the similarity of its shape to the handle of a pan.
Coldwater Creek is an intermittently-flowing stream in northeastern New Mexico, and the panhandles of Oklahoma and Texas. As far back as 1907, the USGS reported that Coldwater Creek is a dry sand bed most of the year. One source says that Coldwater Creek is also known as Rabbit Ears Creek, because it rises near Rabbit Ears, a pair of mountain peaks in Union County, New Mexico. According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), Coldwater Creek drains an area of 1,903 square miles (4,930 km2).